I'm being told I need to replace right rear lower control arm and lateral trailing arm

JOHNB52

MEMBER

2007 NISSAN MURANO

68,000 MILES

I have a 2007 Nissan Murano with 68,000 miles. I live in the Madison, WI area. I'm being told by my mechanic that I should have two items replaced in my right rear suspension because rust has corroded the bolts which connect the lower control arm and the lateral trailing arm.
As a result, they can't perform an accurate realignment they say. This could lead to premature or uneven tire wear and the vehicle pulling to one side or another. Total estimate to repair (lower control arm, lateral trailing arm, special bolts, and labor) is about $900. Does this repair seem reasonable given the miles on the car and the fact we drive it in salty road conditions? Is the estimate reasonable?

To me this shouldn't be happening if the suspension was designed correctly. I've owned Toyota's with 120,000 miles on them and 14 years old and never had to replace these items.

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Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 AT 8:32 PM

8 Replies

HMAC300

EXPERT

Take this to a tire store other than a dealer where they will give you a better price. You won't wear the tires that much in the next few miles. Or an independent garage. Alot of times you can get replacement bushings to fix this problem instead of a control arm. Why did n't they tell you this the first time when you contacted us about your other frontend problem? If the control arm and trailing arm are aluminum they will corrode, but I think this guy or dealer I think you took it to is using a scare tactic to have the work done there. Go someplace else for that alignment andhave them check it.

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Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 AT 9:01 PM

JOHNB52

MEMBER

One problem with going somewhere else: they said they will give me a $200 discount because they failed to tell me about this when I had the other front end work done. They also won't charge me for another alignment once they replace the two arms. Should I still take it somewhere else in your opinion?

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Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 AT 10:16 PM

HMAC300

EXPERT

I think I would at least go someplace else to get their opinion. And if you see what they charge it may be less than the $200 the dealer is going to give yo on a price break. You dont' have to give them an answer right away, if they can't wait a couple of days to do the work then i'd definetly take it somplace else.

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Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 AT 11:25 PM

JOHNB52

MEMBER

Thanks. By the way, I told them about your suggestion that maybe the repair could be done differently -- replacing bushings. The response was that wasn't available on this model. They couldn't get just the bushings - the replacement part requires the control arm and bushings together.

They aren't pushing me to get the work done right away. At the same time, they think it should be done before too much time goes by to avoid harming the tires or other suspension parts on the car.

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Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 AT 11:55 PM

HMAC300

EXPERT

If this is a dealer they will tell you that because they sell it as an assembly. If you check in a few auto parts stores, see if they have them. They may not be available, but it may take some checking around. Bushings run abotu $40 for both sides for all 4 for control arms.

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Thursday, February 16th, 2012 AT 12:49 AM

JOHNB52

MEMBER

Wow. So for the whole car's suspension the parts cost would be only $40? That would be quite a savings. And what would you estimate the labor related to fixing just one wheel would be? Or would you suggest doing at least both of the rear bushings at the same time? (I'm assuming the front won't need this done for awhile since they recently replaced outer tie rods on each wheel and also the front driver's side lower control arm.) If I bring it to an independent dealer, should I simply ask them to do an alignment and see what they say? Or should I give them the whole story?

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Thursday, February 16th, 2012 AT 1:54 PM

HMAC300

EXPERT

The $40 price I said is IF the bushings are available. Labor rate would be about he same as you have to do the same to replace the busing as an arm. Being a foreign make they may not be available but checking with a shop/shops ont heoutside is ALWAYS the best thing to do. They can fix them just as good or better than a dealer can anyhow. For less cost normally. This is something you should investigate further.

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Thursday, February 16th, 2012 AT 2:02 PM

JOHNB52

MEMBER

OK. Thanks again. I've set up an appointment with a local independent mechanic to see what he thinks about my situation. It can't hurt. If I'm happy with the result of this alternative, I may just use this shop for all of my maintenance in the future. I've got to find a way to lower my maintenance costs!